


All Together Now

by mazabm



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Multi, Rose Quartz needs to communicate her feelings better, a detailed vague story telling of the thousands of years it took to reach here, polygems - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 22:43:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7910458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mazabm/pseuds/mazabm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are the original Crystal Gems.<br/>Rose, Pearl and Garnet.<br/>Together, they are all they have at the end of the war, but they create something beautiful in a new world. </p><p> “It’s time.”  Rose Quartz says.<br/>“We,” Garnet starts softly and surely. </p><p>Free gems make choices they've never had before.  Or Rose Quartz doesn't know how to mourn, Pearl is her own woman, and Garnet just wants to love, and Amethyst just wants them to love her, eventually. The end goal? No one should be lonely, no one should be alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Together Now

 

After the Diamonds, the only gem that is left uncorrupted and free is Nacre and she unfuses to a world where there is wailing and screaming.  They, the Crystal Gems stare at a world of corrupted gems, and a species that doesn’t know its potential.   Garnet looks away and into the future and they go separate ways, none knowing how exactly how to deal with mass tragedy. 

To Rose, goes the gardens, the farmland, the deserts, tiny pieces of jungles, vines surround her and she disappears into the overgrowth, rose petals littered everywhere in her domain. Her once shinning hair is gray and her tears do nothing.  She does not speak anymore to gems or humans, but animals live in her shadows.

To Pearl, goes the seas, and the beaches, and the beginnings of cities.  She cannot fathom humans, nor love them the way that Rose does, but she teaches, she dances, she is free in a new way, but lonely like never before.

And to Garnet, whose internal conversation always flows, goes the forest, and the volcanos, the savannahs, she gets the mountains as well, and looks down from the tops.  There is no enclosed space for her, she runs, and she jumps, and she climbs, and she fights, and she forms and she reforms and becomes her.

“My name is Garnet.”  She tells Rose Quartz and Pearl when she finds them, together, but distant, a 100 years after they’ve separated.

Rose Quartz says nothing.

“Garnet…” Pearl says and she looks in awe.

“Garnet.” Garnet repeats, purple, young, but secure.

Pearl learns to speak enough for Rose and Garnet.

“The humans are becoming more Rose, they can communicate like never before now!”  Pearl has never loved humans, not like Rose did but she respects them.  Garnet hums a song under her breath, coverings like those of the mummies of her domain appear over her eyes. Rose gasps, and Pearl stops speaking mid-sentence.

“I am glad I found you all.”  Garnet says and then she walks away.

“Rose you’ll stay, right?”  And when Pearl looks for the woman she is already gone. 

Garnet develops a mane like a lion once, it moves too much.

Pearl dances for kings, but on her own terms, she watches as human weapons get more and more intricate and knows war is to come.

Deep in the jungle, Rose hums Garnet’s song.  The people that live there, are amazed at what they see.

Garnet finds Pearl among writers the next time.

“It’s so new Garnet that they’re still working it out, but look.”  And there is a scribe writing.  “They know what to do.  They believe in something” She takes her hand like they used to do during the war and Pearl grip is tight. “Do you see her being okay?”  And Garnet doesn’t need her future vision to know Pearl means Rose.

“Rose Quartz has always been different,” and Sapphire and Ruby are quiet as Garnet says “I don’t know.”  Pearl absent-mindedly holds Garnet’s hand tight

“I just worry that we will never be together again.”  And Garnet doesn’t know what Pearl is talking about. “I miss being Nacre.”  And Garnet stops pretending to breathe.  “I miss being with you guys.”

“The war is over Pearl, we have to learn to move on.”

“I don’t think we can.”

Sardonyx dances in the Sahel, travelers at oasis stopping to look at her.  She loves the feeling of eyes on her.

“Stay?” Pearl whispers.

“Not yet.”  Garnet says.

  Rose Quartz finds Pearl along a black sanded beach.  She still does not speak.

“Rose please.  Talk to me.  I don’t know what to do.  You’re the one that loved humans, why don’t you stay.  We can do this together.” Pearl says, she’s clutching at Rose’s arm, trying to get anything for the gem not to leave again.

‘You’re doing perfect Pearl.’  Rose says and her mouth doesn’t move.

“Rose?” 

‘You’re doing so well.’

Rainbow Quartz stands, places her feet into the sand.

“It’s a new world.” She tells herself.  “It’s a new time. We will have to be strong.”

When Pearl opens her eyes, alone in the sand, she screams.  The humans write it in their history.

“Enough Rose.”  400 years after the Diamonds and Garnet has truly come into herself. She wears coverings over her eyes as if that stops her from standing out, so absolutely beautiful and perfect.  Rose remembers trying to get other Rubies to try to fuse with Sapphire, it never worked.  Her Garnet was unique, her Garnet glares at her.

“Talk to me.”  Garnet says.  “Sing to me, Rose please.”

‘Garnet,” And Garnet steps back from Rose like she’s been burned.

“Rose.” And Rose takes a deep breath and around her the forest moves.  Rose hums softly, outstretches a hand to the fusion.

Cuprite laughs when she forms, she sings to the trees, to the flowers, everywhere she walks, flowers sprout at her feet. She falls apart when Garnet comes undone.

“Everyone misses being Nacre!  You know what I miss, I miss being a Crystal Gem!” Garnet yells.  “I like being myself. I miss my friends.” And Rose looks at her with so much pity.

‘It is a new world Garnet.  We have to be strong.’  Garnet growls and stalks back into the wilderness and away from Rose.

“Talk to us and I can tell you how to really be strong.”

If she had stayed a second longer she would have heard the whispered “Garnet.” That fell from Rose’s lips.

Garnet dances with Pearl almost like she’s rushing, twisting her almost roughly, pulling her close. Pearl gasps, not out of fear, presses closer to Garnet.  And when Garnet laughs, it is not with mirth. Pearl shivers not from cold in her arms.

Sardonyx forms with a gasp, and shakes herself.  It has been too long since she’s been together.

It is Rose Quartz that finds Amethyst, and it is the first words that she really speaks in the post war.

“Oh,”   She whispers, starring at the small purple gem.  “She’s perfect.” 

Garnet surprisingly, is the one that explains the most to Amethyst.  They haven’t really ended the separation.  Pearl can’t bear that Rose Quartz still won’t talk to her.  Garnet can bear the silence, she can see the other ways that Rose communicates.  It took a hundred years, but it is in the subtle blow of the trees, the subtle kisses she places on their hands.  Her hair is starting to look pink again, and she has taken to staying in one spot, a grotto, that is full of her tears. 

“The gem war separated all earth gems. It was the Crystal Gems and the Homeworld Gems.”

“Aren’t I suppose to know what I am?”  Amethyst asks and Garnet shakes her head.

“You get to choose.  That was what the war was all about.” 

“I thought the war was to save earth.”

“People fight wars for many different reasons.” Garnet says and forms her weapon.

“I should be able to do that shouldn’t I?” Amethyst says looking at her own hands as if to find gauntlets.

“Every gem weapon is unique to them, you’ll find yours.” 

It is Pearl who is screaming when Amethyst rides a wild horse to meet them one time, a bright purple whip cracking in the sunlight.

Pearl and Amethyst end up traveling under Garnet.  They bicker endlessly and while at first it grates on Garnet’s nerves, it is the first time she hears two gems talking to each other constantly since herself in 500 years. (It’s nice)

Speaking of that, Amethyst hugs Ruby and Sapphire the first time she meets them.  They cling to her, whisper thank you in her ears.   Pearl watches with bated breath as Ruby pushes Amethyst from her arms to Sapphire’s.  Sapphire laughs, throws her arm out to Ruby, dips Amethyst, and they glow.

Sugilite gives a bold laugh when she forms. “Hey little one.”  She says, bending down to meet Pearl.  She’s a beast, wild like a lion, purple, blue and red, surge around her. Pearl can’t really believe it.  She splits apart a second later.  An overjoyed Garnet stands and she places light joyful kisses all over Amethyst who’s blushing but smiling so hard.

“I didn’t know more than two gems could fuse!” Amethyst says and Garnet and Pearl look at each other and look away.

“The limit in fusion is yourself.”  Garnet says softly.

Rose Quartz joins them suddenly, one day she isn’t there, the next she is.

“Garnet,” she says, almost sounding like the old her.  “What do you see for us?”

“This isn’t war Rose. I can’t look anymore and see a direct outcome.  Our paths can change so quickly now.  Most outcomes,” And she looks across to Rose, once Garnet came into herself, she could match the woman. “Depend on you.”

“Well what do you really see when you look at us?”  And Garnet looks away from Rose to Pearl and Amethyst, they’re side by side, starring at the stars, and Pearl is probably pointing out Homeworld.

“Love.”  Garnet says.  When she looks back to Rose, the woman is gone.

Alexandrite takes wobbly first steps. “Huh.” She says. She’s so tall!

“That’s fun!”  Amethyst says.

“Fusion is serious Amethyst.”  Garnet says drily. 

“I know, I know.  But it’s so much fun being more than me, being us.” Amethyst launches at her then and never surprised Garnet catches her allowing the purple gem to take affection from her.

Pearl leaves them again after a certain point, goes hunting in search of Rose.  Amethyst mingles with humans, she’s different in which where Pearl taught them, Garnet towered over them, and Rose loved them, Amethyst mingles, she morphs her body to fit whatever the humans need, she’s a constantly changing figure and Garnet tries to keep track of her in the now busy human cities and landscapes. The world is a lot different from when she was first formed but even the seedy smoke that settles in her skin when they spin too much time in city is welcomed as long as she is together with someone, and Amethyst is fun.

Sugilite is bold, carefree, and confident. Sometimes it feels like she could be together forever.  It’s just so much fun being her.

“I’m worried about you.”  Pearl says once.  Amethyst is off with some human and Garnet is content to sit at a fountain like a statue, just watching and waiting for her to come back. Garnet takes one look at Pearl’s serious face and laughs.

“The feeling is mutual.” She says baring her teeth mockingly.

“I’m serious Garnet, do you see yourselves?!  Traipsing around the world, merging with humans.”

“They love me and Amethyst.”

“I love you!’  Pearl exclaims, and Garnet blinks, phases away her visor and looks at Pearl.

“Funny way of showing it.”  Garnet responds.

“I was going to come back sooner, but you know Rose when she’s caught up in something, I...”  Garnet takes a deep breath.

“Pearl, you want something.”  And there belies the true tiredness of Garnet.

“I want us to be together again, all of us.  With Amethyst, we’re all that’s left of the Crystal Gems, is it too much to want to be together?”

“It’s been almost a thousand years, since we called ourselves the Crystal Gems.”  Pearl offers her hand to Garnet.

“Please, Garnet.”  And Garnet takes her hand, they don’t fuse instead they just hold hands, as humans rush around them.

“Hey P.”  Amethyst smells like humans and Garnet takes a special pleasure in the way that she can lure Amethyst away from the city.  They lie in a meadow, twisted around each other. 

“Are we going to fuse?” Amethyst asks softly.

“We don’t have to.” Garnet whispers back.

“Can we just stay like this?”  Pearl asks, the forever goes unsaid.

Surprisingly it’s Garnet that tries to take her leave first, months later.

“Where are you going?” Pearl shrills loudly.

“Shh.” Garnet says.  “Something is wrong with Rose.”  And Amethyst from where she was pretending not to listen, sits up.  “I can’t see what it is, I don’t want you guys to go, you could end up hurt.”

“There is no way I will let you go by yourself!” Pearl practically screeching says.  Garnet opens her mouth to respond but its Amethyst’s small hand on her arm that stops her.

“What Pearl is trying to say is, we’re a team, we’re the Crystal Gems, and we go together.” Garnet looks at Amethyst who levels a look back at her.

“Huh.” She says.

Rose Quartz is a mess when they find her.  The grotto is overrun with weeds and vines, flowers open and close on their own validation.

“Rose?”  Pearl says.  The leader of the Crystal Gems stands in the middle of the pond, she’s holding a gem, pushing it into the water.  There is a bright light and they hear Rose cry when nothing happens. 

“Rose.” Garnet repeats.

“I cannot do anything!” The woman exclaims. “It won’t work.”

“A diamonds work is not meant to be fixed.” Garnet says back.   She takes the gem from Rose’s hand, bubbles it, watches it pop back into existence around Pearl and Amethyst, and shakes her head.

“Rose,”  

“The corrupted gems, we cannot just leave them Garnet!  They’re destroying temples, endangering humans, my tears still cannot heal them.  We failed them!” Garnet puts her hands up to try to placate the pink gem whose hair is all over the place.

“Rose calm down.  We won’t leave them.”  And for the first time since they arrived Rose really looks at her. “I know you remember when we formed Cuprite, you told me we have to be new and strong in this new world. We can be strong, together.  We’ll get the corrupted gems and we’ll try to heal them but you can’t do it alone, not anymore. You have us.”  Pearl and Amethyst stand on either side of Garnet and Rose looks from one to another.

“Together?”  She sounds tired, but hopeful.

“The Crystal Gems.”  Pearl says and she reaches for Rose’s hand.  The pink gem takes maybe a second before she clasped it.

“It won’t be like it used to be.”  Rose says. “I didn’t do this because I didn’t want to disappoint you all.”

“It will never be like it used to be.”  And Pearl’s statement is so loaded that Garnet grips her arm. “But we are never alone, not anymore.” And they’re hugging, Amethyst burrowing into the middle, Rose’s grip isn’t as strong as it should be, and Pearl feels so small in their arms but Garnet takes a deep breath, and does Rose, and the world moves around them.

3000 years have passed and Garnet still can’t believe sometimes that she is still functioning after the war.

3000 years have passed and Pearl still can’t believe that she is actually free.

Garnet holds Pearl’s hand and they whisper names of their fallen friends back and forth on the 3500th anniversary of the Battle of Onyx.  Rose watches them but does not comment.

Amethyst comes to Garnet late one night, when Pearl and Rose are away.

“This is different.” She whispers. “Not quite as fun.”  And Garnet picks her up, tosses her in the air, and she can’t hold in her giggle. “Did you like it?”  Amethyst asks suddenly, seriousness coming from her ever edge. “When we were together?”

“I loved it.”  Garnet answers honestly and Amethyst gives her a breath taking smile. “It was so much fun.” Garnet whispers into her ear and when Amethyst throws her head back with a gasp, Garnet is on the smaller gem, taking pleasure from her very existence.

“I need more of that.”  Rose tells her and Garnet looks at her blankly.  “Fusion releases this resonance that attracts the more powerful corrupted gems.”  Garnet smiles a thin-lipped smile. “We can move them away from the cities, the humans will be safe.”

“You want another temple.”  And Rose flushes.

“No, of course not.” She tries to say.

“We don’t have any builder gems anymore but if we are serious about staying together,” And Garnet takes Rose’s hand and gently kisses it. “We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

Pearl shows Garnet a cliff overlooking a sea.

“You try to hate it but you love the ocean.”  Garnet says with a laugh, gently pushing the gem’s arm.

“Do you think it will work?” And Garnet does not even need future vision to confidently say.

“Yes, yes, I think it will be perfect.”  She picks Pearl up and spins her around, and the gem though she hates it is similar to Amethyst in which she can’t hold in her giggle.  Garnet doesn’t need to rely on Sapphire and Ruby to know that this is what love feels like.

“They believe in you.”  Rose tells Garnet one day, and Garnet balks.

“No they believe in you.”

“You’ll see Garnet, one day.”  And Garnet has avoided looking into the future about them, she doesn’t want to see any possible futures where this happy medium is destroyed.

Amethyst is almost killed by a corrupted gem. Her gem cracks and she gasps, and giggles.

Pearl is neurotic.

Garnet has reached a point where she doesn’t think.

Rose is nowhere to be found.

Pearl is screaming.

Garnet cannot see, cannot think.

Rose cries, everything is fine.

Except it’s not.

“That will not happen again!” Garnet snarls to Rose. Rose who bows her head and nods. “We cannot lose any of us, it will ruin us.” That is not future vision but Garnet has a terrifying thought of losing either Pearl or Amethyst.

“Amethyst is ok now.”  Rose says but she is looking down and Garnet sees red.

“Rose!” And Rose looks up to Garnet from where she is seated and drawing something.

“Look.” She says, holding out a drawing of a magnificent temple. “Will it work?” And Garnet nods.

“It’s perfect.”

Amethyst stays by Rose the next couple of missions, not willingly of course.  Garnet has to glare her down several times, when she moves to come with them.

Sardonyx performs on her own, elegant, precise.  Garnet kisses Pearl like she needs her to breathe.  Pearl laughs, digging her hands into Garnet’s hair. Sardonyx hits harder, moves faster, she’s beautiful.

“Where is Amethyst?”  Pearl asks.  Rose looks up from where she is working on something.

“Oh she said she had to visit the ‘fam’” Pearl looks at Garnet, Garnet looks at Pearl.

“Don’t go anywhere.” Garnet asks Rose, the woman shrugs.

The Alpha Kindergarten is still a dark place.  Garnet without even thinking before they even move an inch pushes Pearl back onto the warp pad and covers her mouth when the other woman tries to protest.

“Go back to Rose.” She says and uncovers Pearl’s mouth

“What?!” It’s a whispered what, thank gems. “No!”

“Please Pearl, jus trust me, please.” The look in Pearl’s slanted eyes is so scrutinizing, Garnet doesn’t know what to expect when she lets the woman go. It’s certainly not a push off the warp pad and watching it activate from on her butt on the ground.  She smiles at Pearl, who shakes her head and looks away. ‘

Amethyst talks to rocks, and loves where she came from even if it’s a lot smaller than the other ones and flinches when she sees Garnet.

“I...” She starts.

“Don’t have to explain.”  There was a lot of ways that the Gems had learned to cope in the aftermath of the war. Amethyst has her own way.   “If you want to be left alone,” Garnet starts.

“No.” Whenever seriousness comes off of Amethyst, Garnet wants to scream, wants to protect the young gem from anyone who would ever hurt her, she thanks whatever God is out there for gems every time she remembers that Amethyst was 500 years late.  “I just come back here every so often, just to remember where I was made, what the diamonds did.”  Garnet stops herself from taking the gem in her arms and holding her.  She takes a seat, on a rock, phrases off her glasses and looks at Amethyst who can’t hold her gaze and looks away.

“There is more.”  Garnet says.

“Are you really going to not let me go on missions anymore?” It’s said rushed, almost terrified, actually,

“You’re worried.”

“Garnet!” And Garnet sighs.

“You disobeyed me Amethyst, you almost died.”

“I just wanted to help!”  She says, her voice raising in pitch. “I made a mistake.”

“You almost died.  In battle, you have to learn to listen to someone who isn’t Rose or you or you will end of cracked or shattered. We thought we almost lost you that day.

“You,” And she points at Garnet’s eye. “Can see you weren’t!” And Garnet is gripping her in a second. Her hair falls out the way, and her eyes go large.

“Except I couldn’t see Amethyst.  All I saw was losing you.” She lets go of Amethyst suddenly and the smaller gem falls to the ground.  Garnet looks at her and chuckles bitterly. “I was terrified Amethyst, you have no idea of how much you mean to us, me.” Amethyst looks away.  “I spent centuries with you and you still come here,” And the alpha kindergarten towers over them. “Scared that I won’t let you come into battle with me again.  I will, Rose will, you’re still a Crystal Gem, I just don’t want to lose you.”  And she crosses her arms, looks away.

“You’re not going to lose me, it won’t happen again.”  Amethyst says

“Do not make promises you will not keep Amethyst.”  Sapphire says and Ruby winches.  Garnet curls her mouth and the slight disagreement inside her and this would be when she looks into their future to see but Gems make mistakes and a small part of Garnet knows they’ll be here again.

There is a stasis they make.  They do not stay together all the time, Amethyst vanishes sometimes, used to being alone, Rose leaves sometimes, isolating herself the way she knows best, and Pearl and Garnet tend to stay together, bonded by their love for each other and their love for others, mainly their love and respect for Rose Quartz, who leaves them.  They know it’s a cycle, they don’t try to stop.

“At least, we have each other.”  Pearl tries to mummer once in Garnet’s ears as they intertwine and Garnet knows how cliché that will become. She whispers her agreement anyway, kissing her.

Rose breaks the cycle, like she always does.

“Do you hear that?”  She says to Garnet, her eyes has stars in them, her smile is so kind, her hair is as bright as it’s ever been.  Rose Quartz is back, and she reaches her hand out and Garnet is not worried to grab it.  They talk, they listen, they take each thought at a time, Cuprite smiles, sees the world as it really is for the first time, in thousands of years.  There is a thrumming, a resonance, in the world.  Cuprite can hear it, and when they unfuse, Rose is smiling, Rose is grinning, Garnet takes it in, deep breaths, deep breaths, it sounds like Sapphire’s, their home. “It’s time.”  Rose Quartz says.

“We,” Garnet starts softly but surely. 

“Are the Crystal Gems.”

The Temple Gem is how she is known, she is beautiful and she sings as she builds a magnificent temple, as she spins. 

“Together!”  She screams, she stretches her arms to the skies and the whole world moves around her. 

Ice coats the cliff, fire coats the cliff, the entire forests seems to want to take root and grow in this cliff, the continents seem to shift a little, she stops her feet, claps every hand she has, she throws her head back laughs.

“WE ARE THE CRYSTAL GEMS!” She sings.

The thrumming stops, the temple gem takes a bow.

“Whoo!”  Amethyst whoops.  “Look at us!” All of them are smiling like they can’t believe it.  Garnet begins to laugh, Pearl looks at her, happy tears in her eyes, and begins to laugh, Amethyst laughs, she knows nothing else but this feeling right here, and Rose Quartz, smiling because she was free, laughed.

“She’s beautiful.”  Garnet says, Pearl leans on her, looks up to the statue. 

“We did it.”  Her fingers intertwine with Garnet.  “What’s next?”

“You will see when I do.”  Garnet whispers. 

Rose cultivates the rock temple the best, as humans move around them, the gems take to isolating themselves.   They’re together, defeating all the corrupted gems left over from war. They’re at peace, with themselves, each other, nothing has to change.  Than one day, a human named Greg drives into their lives and nothing is ever the same again.

“Oh ugh, he’s crying again.” Amethyst says.

“I have him” Garnet says.  She starts to look around but she knows, Pearl is locked in her part of the temple.

“Humans are so much.”  And Garnet chuckles at Amethyst’s observation.

“They are, but Steven is special.”  Later, Amethyst will tell her she looked at him with love, Garnet can’t believe she thought for a second that her parts would disagree on Steven.  They love him and so does she. 

“Give him to me.” And Garnet almost jumps.  Pearl hadn’t left her room since Rose… She just looks tired now, sad, but determined out of all of them, Pearl loved Rose most.

“If you could only know, what we really are. When we arrived on earth from out beyond your star.”  She’s rocking him and singing and Garnet feels a warmth inside her at the sight. “You’re starring.”  She says, and she sends Garnet a small smile, and Garnet can’t help but grin back.

“I missed you.”  Honest, just like Garnet.

“Eww.” Amethyst says from her spot on the floor.  They ignore her.

“Oh Garnet, I am not going anywhere.  Together right?”

“We are the Crystal Gems and we’ll always save the day.”  Steven will sing one day.

There is a thrumming, a resonance within the earth.

“Together, the Crystal Gems, we will always find a way.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my take on Polygems, I started writing this quite a while back. It really kinda focuses on Garnet but it's about the love that you would have to have for someone who was by your side for everything. So it is kinda heavy veiled Pearlnet but Amethyst and Garnet have a really strong moment and you can see that by the end, the one holding them together isn't Rose Quartz but each other. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I love the Crystal Gems and I really hope that we learn more about those long years before Steven.  
> Catch me @minorleaguegem on tumblr


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